Crucifido's Corner

revgen · Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 9:06 am Post subject:

Frankly, I don't think the shorts had anything to do with this loss. Our best quarter that we played against Boston was the 2nd quarter in which we limited them to 21 points. We had our short-shorts on at the time. Basically, Boston beat us the same way they did at Boston. We're just not at their level yet.
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Killer · Joined: 30 Apr 2007 Posts: 21

Revgen: If you'll read Crucifido's article carefully, you'll see that he didn't literally men the shorts lost us the game. He was referring to the lightheartedness with which the Lakers came into the game. In their effort to make this "just another game" and not get too hyped the other way and overplay (often causing the same result), they needed to take this game a little more seriously and come in with a better focus. We'll see what happens as the season progresses and how the McHale/Ainge collusion pans out and where the Lakers land. All in all, as Crucifido said: not the end of the world - just another game.

BDG · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 8:52 am Post subject:

Whether or not the shorts affected the way they played is debatable, but . . .

I have to agree with the shorts allowing the Lakers to come in light-hearted. You could tell that they weren't focused to play the league's best team when they gathered for tip-off.

All I'll say is thank God we won't see those again. Glad there's a game today . . . finally.
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crucifido · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:34 pm Post subject:

Alright, so washing away the Celtic game and the subsequent juvenile behavior of the team, their fans and their "journalists", the Lakers got a good solid team win.

Better yet, they got one versus a team they should get one against. I hope everyone had a fun New Year's celebration, now lets get back down to the business of winning.

Lakers vs. 76ers (Game 31 1/4/07)

Taking Care Of Business

It wasn’t too long ago, Laker fans feared games and upcoming stretches like this. The Lakers weren’t such a shoe in to take care of teams like the 76ers the way they should.

Luckily for the team and for us, those days look to be coming to a close.

With a run of games coming up as they are its vitally important the Lakers come to win every night. The February run is a brutal one. This is the stretch of games that can give you that 2 or 3 game pad come the end of the year that could mean the difference between a home court first round or having to start the run with another roadie. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. What’s important is that the Lakers washed away the Boston game with a convincing and decisive win against Philly.

Alright then, let’s run through it and move onto the next win…

The best part of Andrew’s game was the concentration on the defensive end to get the blocks that he should have against teams like the 76ers. You forget the kind of slack defense and slow footwork that Andrew used to come into games with not but one year ago. Among other things, the most encouraging improvement is the defensive work Bynum’s putting in. At no point was Dalembert, Evans or anyone getting a post game either established or even started. That was due to the presence of Andrew.

Granted, the 76ers are no offensive juggernaut, but the focus was there for Andrew against an inferior team – that’s great to see.

Andrew’s second efforts were noticeable tonight. There weren’t many times it had to be done, but when it did there was no hesitation to get back up on the boards to corral a miscue. More impressive, on offense (besides the dunk from the dotted line in the paint – man was that a center?!) was Andrew’s hand strength. This season he’s been slapped at and hounded more often (a compliment to his growing skill set) but you don’t see the ball being stripped from his hands once he has it for the most part.

It was good to see Kobe get a night off basically. Think about it guys, this is another thing that simply was not even close to possibly happening not but a year ago. There were no restful games like this one for Kobe. Now though, the team is slowly seizing opportunities against weaker teams and allowing the starters some time to save up for tougher contests.
The best thing about the game tonight – Crittenton got some meaty time in the game. It was gratifying to see Phil throw Javaris out there in the heart of a game for some quality minutes. Again it was a testament to the team taking care of business, to be able to allow the lower guys on the bench some more time, but nonetheless, Crittenton took good advantage of it. Above all of Crittenton’s attributes, you can see the intensity in his face when he plays. There is a focus there that is unusual to see in a rookie (let alone one that has gotten virtually no time so far this season).

I like seeing his Farmar-esque fearlessness going into the trees in the paint. At no time when her got into traffic did he look out of control. Sure there were and will be times when he won’t make the perfect play, but the basic instincts of a point guard are there. I’d like to see him strengthen his passes off the drive and kick. He kicks it back out a bit soft once he opens up the passing lane.

Defensively, the guy was working. Overall, he was reaching and stepping off pressure a bit too quick, but it wasn’t detrimental tonight. There was one point in the 4th quarter though, when he jumped into the passing lane from the top of the key to the corner for three, completely shutting down a play. Its little chops like that that should get him some more time in this run of games versus weaker opponents.

The outside shot that usually needs a little developing from point guards, looks to be in pretty decent shape too. He definitely knows the gist of the offense as he was getting to his spots with regularity and crispness. Good game for Javaris and better yet good to see him get a chance to become involved in this tight-knit unit.

As far as the rest go, I’d still like to see Ariza only shoot from outside as an absolute last resort. Even with an open shot, Trevor should be looking to pass and cut. Defensively though, the guy really shores up the Lakers mid-range defense. Again tonight he was clogging passing lanes and getting himself involved on a big arc from the top of the key around to he corners. That perimeter hustle has allowed Ronny and Andrew to settle into the post a bit more for the kinds of blocks they were getting tonight.

Kwame was too lackadaisical in every aspect tonight for me. The lazy dribbling, the off-speed passes and the slow squirm into the post to start off plays is never excusable, even in a blow out like this.

Luke just didn’t look healthy out there. It was good to see him get back to his step back jumper a bit, but overall, it looks like Luke needs more time on the pine to get his ankle fully healed. The hindrance its putting on his lateral defensive motion (that was fairly slow to start with) was apparent.

Farmar p[played wit his usual energy. The guy continues to become more and more reliable from range. The shot he didn’t have at any point last year and rarely showed otherwise is becoming a big part of his game. When you couple that with his ability to cut inside like he did several times (along both side of the porous Philly D) tonight and it makes a lot for another team to handle from an off-the-bench point guard. What I love about Jordan’s game is the never say die attitude from offense to defense. When he made a silly turnover tonight on offense he immediately got his hand up in a pass and got the steal. When you watch for that kind of play from Jordan you’ll notice you see it quite a bit. Even if the steal isn’t gotten, Farmar did a good job tonight getting in transition.

Ronny was simply great to watch. The tenacity he crashed into the game with was not only contagious; it was stifling for the 76ers. At no point was Ronny not involved in a post or inside play. The movement from the weak side of the ball to the strong and back again on defense was lightning fast. That and a good use of his lower body tonight absolutely killed the 76ers in the mid-post. Before they could even be scared by Bynum Ronny was making the 76ers move the ball into 2 or 3 on 1 situations in the post.

Offensively, it’s good to see him stay confident I his shot. Though the one shot he sank from about 6 feet was bit out of the comfort zone for me, it’s a heck of a weapon for a guy that can dash into get his own board in a flash. I’d like to see him step into the 12 foot range at the most with it (ala a Horace Grant type of shot). Defensively, he still has to watch his downward motion on the blocks. The energy is great but coming down like he did tonight against a weak handed Philly team will get him fouls against a stronger handed team.

Team wise the offensive spacing was great (as attested to by the room for ball movement they showed). The team’s defensive reads in the post as a whole were really good. At no point were there less than 2 guys on the defensive boards when Philly stayed in the paint -that was great to see too. The second chance points were cut down big time. Cut down on the jump passing, but otherwise everything (including a marked improvement in unforced turnovers, mostly due to Philly’s highly questionable defense, but either way…) was in place tonight.

So begins the run fortunate run of January. Remember this isn’t an easy run of game, this is fortunate. They’re still NBA teams and at no point should anyone be taken lightly. Playing lower echelon teams was a struggle for this team in the past, there’s no reason to kill this encouraging growth as a team with sloppy or listless play just because a team’s record isn’t the best.

Let’s go out there and take care of what needs to be done.
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crucifido · Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 11:59 pm Post subject:

Alright so out to the road the guys go. With two wins under their belt, the Grizzlies game should be a good ramp up to the Hornets.

Lakers vs. Pacers (Game 32 1/6/2007)

Not Too Pretty But The Job Got Done

Clunky starts to every quarter outside of the 3rd didn’t slow the Lakers down from getting a win that they, by all rights, should’ve gotten.

Slow on their rotations both offensively and defensively, it looked like the Lakers may make this game tougher on themselves than the Pacers would. It’s not often (or many teams) that you can go from not even scratching in the game until the 8.15 mark, to scoring 33 points in the first quarter. But such is the explosive offense of the Lakers this season. Mainly, it’s so explosive because the Lakers are slowly, but most surely getting back to the inside/outside offense (with a roundabout nod to an altered triangle offense) that got them so much success early in this decade.

And of course, as has been more often than not this year, the catalyst in it was Andrew Bynum. Playing against the guy you almost got dealt for (well semi-almost) will certainly spark up your motivation, but Andrew’s motivation has been to become a major part of the new engine of the Lakers. And I think its getting close to safe to say that Andrew is becoming more than most expected him to be. That would be the third best center in the NBA (behind Dwight Howard and Yao Ming).

With this game tonight (and others as well, but we’ll look at this one mostly) you saw a concerted effort from Indiana to collapse on Andrew as soon as possible. That just says that Andrew has now officially become part of the scouting process. He’s become part of what other coaching staffs have to plan countering. At no point in this game did Andrew get a one on none chance. As soon as the ball was passed into the post help came almost immediately. But due to Andrew’s patient footwork he either got around those double/triple teams or backed down his defender enough to get a pass off to the high post or back outside.

I think a good telling moment of Andrew’s game tonight was when he got obviously pushed in the back by O’Neal, but instead of quitting playing, he put the ball on the floor, dropped to the baseline and threw down a jam for the bucket and the foul. That fire right there, that willingness to play through a non-call and maintain control was great to see. Defensively he was getting pulled out of his comfort zone a bit too much. A lot has to do with the fact that O’Neal likes to shoot tho9se 10 to 12 foot jumpers to do just that. What Andrew has to do is trust in rotation to the low post from Lamar or Ronny (depending on the lineup) to cover him getting up into Jermaine a bit more.

It’s apparent that Luke’s legs aren’t yet under him like they have been before. The chronic Los Angeles sprained ankle curse has taken its toll on Luke’s off ball movement. But tonight there were twinges of the movement that makes Luke so successful in the triangle offense. The quickness on defense that is suspect anyway is nowhere near where it has to be for Luke to wrangle more minutes away from Ariza. But, again its Luke’s inherent understanding of the offense and his ability to keep in motion to his spots at all times that keeps him in games. The same happened tonight.

You saw the couple of open threes that Luke was getting last year from that same movement. With Andrew becoming a bona fide force in the middle, Luke should look to increase that movement and keep getting strength back in his ankle to become that piston for the extra pass (ala that pass top Lamar on the dive in the 3rd).

Crittenton got time, which was good to see, but his confidence in his outside shot and ability to see when he has an open shot is causing too many turnovers or telegraphed passes.

Back into that 3rd option kind of game, Lamar once again shows his value to the team. It’s a quiet consistency on the defensive boards that really proves Odom’s worth. The emergence of Bynum in the middle is paying off dividends all over the place, but mainly it’s taking pressure off of Lamar. What was good about Lamar’s game tonight was his movement from passing off the ball on the arc to making a dive into the post or straight down the middle for either a pass or rebound. Though he didn’t always get the tiny easy shot that was designed, his motion off the pass and through posts was moving the defense to crowd the middle, leaving the mid range and long range jumpers more open than most nights.

Lamar’s big weakness tonight was his flashing defense on shooters. Lamar, along with most of the Lakers have got to realize that they can’t throw an arm towards a shooter than dive back 2 or 3 footsteps. You have to commit to playing shooters in their face. Make Rush put the ball on the floor, make shooters play to their weakness. This is going to be huge come the New Orleans game. With Lamar being put in to the roving kind role on defense, he has got to use his height to push shooters into bad shots, to pass the ball or put the ball on the floor to drive into Andrew, Kobe, Ronny or anyone looking to clean up the middle.

Though he didn’t play close to the big role he played in the Philly game, its still a bonus to have a guy like Turiaf come into the game (even with limited minutes) with the same enthusiasm he ahs when he starts. That being said, I saw something defensively from Ronny tonight that may help him shore up his defensive game quite a bit. Ronny tends to body up far too early with his man. Once he does get tight up on his assignment he tends to back step with them. At the end of the backing up, either Ronny jumps up for a block or he tends to get called for the block. Along with keeping his downward motion of his swatting under control, Ronny would be well served to give a step or two of room to his man. Often he isn’t guarding someone who is going to [pull up from the outside (ala David Harrison tonight) . So having to tighten up that early in a defensive set is unnecessary.

The bench unit had their struggles tonight. Again, there was bit of stagnation once the starters sat down. I see this as the fault of two things primarily.

First, I don’t think there should be a time in a game (aside from absolute garbage time) that the team should have Lamar, Kobe and Andrew sitting all at once. At one point one of them has got to be on the floor. You can’t leave the bench unit out there (as good as they’ve been) without a definite offensive go to guy. Every time it’s been done, tonight as well, the bench has stuttered on offense and gotten really careless with the ball. That disjointed play without an anchor is also leading to miscommunication on defense.

Also, offensively when the ball goes into the post there’s a hesitation afterwards. The pass goes in and for about one to two seconds you can see the indecision from almost all fronts of the offense without one of the Lakers “big 3” on the floor.

So though the bench has been spectacular so far this year, I don’t think putting a completely starter-less unit on the floor against any team is the way to keep a game’s pace on track.

Derek continues to shoot better than he has in his career from the floor. I especially loved watching Derek really pushing the ball into the paint against an under-manned / weak Pacer point guard core. His use of strength tonight was really effective in pulling mid range defenders into the paint. He was out of control at times, letting his momentum carry him a bit too far underneath the hoop, but in general the aggressive drives he was pulling off all game was great. His shot selection is still on the money. Some of the long range bombs he was throwing down were picture perfect and certainly having someone of his ability on the arc to receive Kobe’s drive and kick passes is a monstrous improvement from the past couple of years.

Lastly, I guess when Kobe is an afterthought for team’s defenses and for the Lakers it’s a good thing. There’s a noticeable difference in Kobe’s aggressiveness lately. I think it’s a mix between his injuries not being fully healed yet and Kobe learning how to integrate his normal heroics within a team that actually is helping now.

That’s a tough balance to find right now. You can see Kobe force the action like he did tonight when his shot isn’t falling. However, Kobe is one of the rare players that commands so much attention even when his shot is off that he did a great job tonight of using that attention to free everything else up. A myriad of great passes around the court courtesy of Kobe kept the Lakers in the driver’s seat while he was on the court. Of course despite the below average shooting performance of Kobe for most of the first half he got his points anyway. But Kobe’s biggest effect tonight was keeping the Lakers moving by play away from the ball.

Kobe pushing the ball into tough situations because of frustration is no new thing. The new thing for Kobe this year is, like I said, finding how his incredible ability can best sink within the team context. He’s finding that groove far quicker than most players of his caliber usually do, and that’s why this Laker team is looking so well oiled while Kobe’s on the court.

His defensive performance is still spot on (even though his groin injury is still hampering his lateral movement here and there).

All in all, it was good night of getting done hat had to be done. Now the Lakers have a good warm-up game against a Grizzlies team that always plays the Lakers tough. The game versus the Hornets will be a good test of the Lakers mettle on the road.

If they continue to take a businesslike approach to games, along with using the inside threat of Bynum to spark quick movement to spots and quick ball movement, the Lakers should get along fine.
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"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

crucifido · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 1:19 am Post subject:

Keep the train rolling and get these next couple of wins before the big run of games comes up and the Lakers will be in great shape for the All-Star break.

Lakers vs. Grizzlies & Hornets (Games 33 & 34 1/9 & 1/10/2008)

Who Needs Home Cookin?!

When road trips big or small go as smoothly and according to plan as this little mini trip went, suddenly home court advantage holds no weight. What does hold weight, water and an impressive record with a tougher schedule than last year at this point are the Lakers.

The same Lakers that have since shored up a lot of problems that were keeping them from being this competitive last year and any year in the P.S. (Post-Shaq) era. The main thing that has changed (and sure there’s a ton from last year, but..) is the Lakers coming into these last two road games looking to take it the Grizzlies and Hornets out of the gate.

How many times last year did every Laker fan sit wondering why they came into games softly, looking for other team to establish pace before the Lakers found one of their own? It was too many times. But in these last two contests from the first tip the Lakers were the aggressor on both ends. One consistently great thing they did on defense on this road trip was not letting shooters have their way.

Starting Memphis, the Lakers turned Mike Miller, a normally dead-eye shooter, into a distributing guard. The ball was forced into his hands taking it up the court and once the ball circulated back to him, the Lakers immediately looked to crowd him into passing it off or taking an off-balance shot. When the Lakers slipped on this, you saw Miller being to pick up the pace. But, differently from years past, the L:akers sealed it back up again. Though there’s been plenty of times this season when the Lakers have let shooters have their way, it looked as if they learned their lesson.

It looked that way not only from the Grizzlies game, but also from the Hornets game where Stojakovic was all but sealed off from his comfort zone. Whether it was Walton, Kobe or Ariza, there was no room to operate off of screens or move along the baseline to pop out up top of the arc on a drive and kick at any point. The Lakers did a great job of once again, neutralizing a player that has and still can burn them. That was a big step forward for this trip. There are plenty of games left to be sure, but it’s a fantastic sign when you see the Lakers come into games with a defensive focus as strong as their offensive one.

Another giant step forward, points off turnovers. It’s been a problem for this Laker team to take advantage of the mistakes they create, but with these two games under their belt, hopefully that’s a thing of the past. Not only were the Lakers making the shots they needed to in transition off of turnovers, they were pushing the issue as well. There was no slow walk into the front court, it was a steal, or turnover, turned into a 3 man push into the paint or a clear drive and kick. There was no hesitation in doing what they knew they had to do.

Part three of the good changes made in these two games was the energy the Lakers came into the 3rd quarter with. In the most important quarter of the game, the Lakers have now begun to realize that setting the pace as strongly and willfully as they have in the 1st quarter plays a big factor in the outcome of the game. Despite losing momentum in both of the games due to a lack of defensive effort, the Lakers have cleaned up their act as quickly as they lost the grip on the large lead. Mostly, it has been a re-focusing of defensive efforts and game plans that put their lead back into order.

Yet another good thing to see being used on this trip was the perfect use of defensive attention on Kobe. It’s a two-fold element of the game, with Kobe looking to pass out of the double team, rather than force action and the other guys getting into clear passing angles to put sight lines where they need to be. When that double team was used to the advantage of the team (that is now producing off of the passes that have been there for a while) both the Grizzlies and the Hornets were thrown into a scrambling defense, more than the set man to man or zone schemes they threw at the Lakers. In other words, motion off the ball / the use of the offense as it’s been designed for this year’s team, has paid off in the form of 2 convincing wins on a back to back roadie.

It’s apparent that Luke’s ankle is rounding into shape. The off ball movement and constant use of low line screens has returned. The faltering motion in and out of the posts and key has disappeared, replaced by more confident use of the skills that have made Luke an interesting piece to the Laker success. It would still be good to see Luke use the post as more of a tool to set up passes rather than trying to take into the trees of Chandler, West or any other big man in the area.

Suddenly, the game of basketball has become more freewheeling and easy for Kobe too. How many times did you catch yourself remembering that, oh yeah, the Lakers still have the best player in the game to go to as well as everyone else. It’s been a long time since Kobe hasn’t had to carry the team in the second half of a game, let alone the entire thing. The game has become even easier for Kobe. With everyone staying at home more often on defense, it’s prevented the scrambling Kobe’s had to defensively before. With everyone pushing the ball into the front court without always having to follow Kobe’s lead, it’s allowed a more purposeful easier tempo for Kobe’s game to be either on or off. The having to be on all the time Kobe of the past couple years seems to be fading – and I’m sure Kobe is more than happy about it.

Better yet, with the Laker bench and other starters playing up to the levels they can play at, Kobe’s minutes have gone down. Not only is a smaller amount of shots good for the team’s health and confidence, so is being able to limit Kobe’s time on the court. This more casual substituting of Kobe will pay big dividends in the post-season. A well rested, confident in his teammates and healthy Kobe in the playoffs, coupled with the motivated and heady play of everyone else could lead to good things.

Lamar, settling into the 3rd option groove did a fantastic job of being the sweeper. In both of these games Lamar has been roving underneath on the offensive end, cleaning up missed shots with a board or an aggressive put-back. Keeping Lamar on the high post, able to go from weak to strong or otherwise and able to move in and out of the low post allows more room for Bynum to operate and more room for Lamar to do what he does best. Defensively, it was good to see Lamar physically push Ely, Gasol, West, Chandler, Gay, Milicic and Gasol out of the post. He was playing good body up defense in the thick of things down low. It looked to be a use of the energy he once expended on offense trying to be a 20 per game guy, channeled into a real good roving role in low block. Overall, I think Lamar limiting his three point shots even more will continue to force the action inside and open up the arc for more assured long distance shooters.

Ariza’s been playing really well too. He runs the offensive and defensive sets with smooth precision. His length along the arc on defense is becoming a real threat. Along with that good use of length, his anticipation of passes and of player positioning was uncanny in these two games.

Andrew was integral, once again. In the Hornets game particularly the arsenal of shots Andrew suddenly threw out there (the hook, the left handed hook off the glass, quick turnaround decisions) was more than impressive. He was falling asleep a bit on the high post, letting Chandler and others sneak past him without much motion to get back to them down low. He has to continue to track his assignment from the high to low post. If guys like Chandler are looking to run from high to low, than he has to get in front of them, allow a couple steps of space and make sure he seals off the sides of the paint. Andrew has also got to be quicker boxing out the off big man. Lastly, he’s got to be careful of not working himself underneath the hoop too deep. A couple times in the Grizzlies game he was caught one step too far underneath and got buried by a collapsing defense. Not so much in the Hornets game, but it did happen twice there as well.

Otherwise, Andrew was more than good this trip. His rebounding skills are becoming just nasty. Once he tracks a board, he doesn’t let it go. One, two, three guys, it hasn’t mattered, if Andrew extends and uses his strength of hand, there was barely a board within his reach he didn’t get. The passing was a great thing to see. Particularly, the game between him and Luke in New Orleans was great to watch. As long as defensive attention gets paid to him (much like Kobe) he has got to continue to look for dives and cuts from the open man. Andrew did that and so much more, the least of which was continue to make other team realize that guarding the low post of the Lakers isn’t something to be ignored any more.

Derek’s dead-eye shooting was more than impressive too. The running under screens penchant was there in full force in New Orleans. Sometimes he’d even go underneath a screen far before it was even pushed up on him. That defensive (and permanent) hitch aside, Derek was invaluable on this trip. More than anything else it was Derek’s constant pushing of the ball into the teeth of defenses, making them fall back off of the mid range game that was huge. His decision making was spot on this road trip too.

Kwame played these two games in half speed it seemed. Though he was defensively effective in both games, there’s too much sauntering in the post right now. He’s got to play with the same zip in his step that he flashed on offense here and there this time out.

The defensive front of Kwame and Ronny on this trip went a long way to solidifying one of the NBA’s strongest benches.

Farmar played really well too. In the Grizzlies game he followed suit with pushing the ball into the Grizzlies faces. The jab dribble he showed on the court that whole game was opening up space all over the mid-range game. Just like Fisher, it was great to see a point guard core come into a game looking to push the pace and take control of the tempo. Jordan’s shooting continues to improve as well. Defensively he had a hard time (as is to be expected) against Paul, but for the most part Jordan did a good job keeping his focus on where his assignments were in both games.

I could go on forever right now. I have a ton more notes, but I’ve rambled on long enough as it is. Suffice to say that the Hornets win was impressive and the Grizzlies win was gratifying. The Lakers are taking care of the team they should be taking care of and taking good team steps forward in the process.

Smart positioning has led to smart passing and more open shots for everyone. The transition defense has got to be quicker though. Everyone has got to come back at all times. When the Lakers have come back as a unit they slowed down the fast break opportunities of the Grizzlies and Hornets.

The big problem that needs to be shored up now is finishing quarters as strong as you start them. It’s not the be all end all of things that need to be cleaned up, but there’s no use in building quick strong leads if you’re going to let teams get a breath at the end of quarters.

Alright, so now it’s back home to take revenge on Milwaukee and continue this streak of confident, team, winning play.
_________________
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

crucifido · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 12:00 am Post subject:

Well the wins are starting to fall into place. Time to get 2 more before the tough run of 2008 starts.

Lakers vs. Bucks (Game 35 1/11/2008)

Next…

So I’m sitting on the couch during the game and now sitting in my office writing this with the same cold Kobe came into this game with. All I could think of was that I had trouble getting up to let the dogs out, yet here’s Kobe throwing down one of the more successful games of this season. My point is that its games like this that really make you sit back and realize that guarding, trying to stop or attempting to contain Kobe is a near impossible task. What makes it even harder to stop him is when the passes he’s been dishing to teammates for the past couple of years are starting to be converted.

With the rise of the desire to focus every game and play up to their athletic ability has come not only an easier road for Kobe, but more importantly, it’s made the Lakers a force to reckoned with in the West.

The most impressive part of Kobe’s game tonight was his defense. Despite being obviously winded early on, he did a fantastic job of keeping in front of his assignment at all times. I counted a total of 5 times when his man found room to get around him and screens to go baseline. But when that did happen Kobe popped out the other side of baseline runs sealing off his man from getting back to a shooting spot.

Speaking of sealing off on the defensive end – I suspect this game from Odom will go widely unnoticed. But if you sit back and watch again closely Lamar’s game went beyond the box score tonight. We all know that with Lamar settling into his natural position on the floor and his natural 3rd option spot his game has improved. But tonight Lamar did a better than average job of completely stifling the mid range game of the Bucks. It took about 5 minutes into the game for Lamar to begin pushing Jianlian to about a 13 to 15 foot shot and once he did there was no getting past the arc following the free throw line.

The problem Odom did have defensively was letting his man get the step around him to the middle. At no time did Lamar, once posted up on, shade his man to the baseline. Relying on Bynum to be the last line of defense is fine, but pushing all drives into him, increasing the likelihood of fouls isn’t helpful to anyone.

On the offensive end, I don’t think dunking or taking the ball to the rack with two hands would be such a terrible idea. Too many times did Lamar (and has he this season) take an otherwise easy chance up softly with one hand. Corralling the offensive boards the way he has is beyond helpful, but sometimes being able to take it back up with strength and determination rather than kicking it out would bolster everyone’s game.

The split between Luke and Trevor has become a “length and strength” type of game. It’s an unusual luxury to have at the small forward position. With Luke starting you get the activity off ball and through the post you don’t get with Trevor. With Trevor in the mix you get activity in the lane and on the sides of the paint that isn’t there with Luke.

Tonight Luke did what was needed the last couple of games. He set up his passing skills through his post play and minimized foolish drives into the trees of the defense. Luke is yet another Laker may not show up in the box score as most are used to ,but the movement off ball and the defenders Luke tends to bring out of position open up the post game for everyone on the court. There were some ill-advised shots from the mid-post again tonight. That’s something Luke needs to start recognizing better. But as in the Hornets and Grizzlies game you could see how Luke’s use of his lower body strength in the post makes seams for Andrew to get into position virtually every time in a half court set.

On the other hand you have Trevor coming into the game with length and athleticism. That length and defensive anticipation paid off yet again tonight against the Bucks. As Luke dives into the posts, Trevor does a great job of running the perimeter to baseline lanes. The no-look pass from Kobe to Trevor for the dunk showed that skill off to a T.

So between the two of them you have a good strong rotation of different players that can match-up against a heck of a lot of teams. You can usually see Phil flip flopping between the two throughout the whole game. Who starts isn’t really a matter of talent with these two more than it is a match-up situation.

Meanwhile, off the bench came Farmar and another good game to file away for Jordan. What was most impressive was that at no time in this game did Jordan look lost on an offensive play. He hit his spots tonight with remarkable crispness. It’s something he’s done very well this year, leading to a lot of his open shots, but tonight he was on the money every time down the court.

Better yet, Farmar did a more than decent job of keeping in front of a surging Williams. Though he still got some shots off while Jordan was on him, the frequency of open looks off screens he got were cut down to almost nothing. Jordan had another game of never quitting on any play at any time. Down to the blocked shot when the game was already decided, having a guy like Farmar come off the bench playing with the heart he has is great to have.

Crittenton got some time, which is good, but the guy has a ways to go. He’s dribbling far too high for his stature and getting himself into spots he doesn’t need to be in. Developing a shorter / mid-range shot should be something that Javaris looks to add in the off-season.

And so it’s onto Andrew and an amazing game. Consistency is the main thing everyone’s been looking for from Bynum. That and a knack for the defensive end were the main two goals for Andrew to take the next step in his career. Well those have been met and surpassed so far. Off the bat, Bynum came into this game looking to push Bogut out of his comfort zone. Andrew did a perfect job of doing that too. There were three possessions when Bogut got into the low post deep enough for an easy score. After that first quarter that position was completely shut off by Andrew.

Even better on Andrew did a better than average job of flash defense on the perimeter tonight. His recovery off of those flashes is still a step or two slow, but for a guy of Andrew’s size, he’s coming along nicely on that. There were a lot of changed shots by Bynum (a stat that should be kept for him just out of curiosity) that are becoming a regular part of his defensive arsenal. It shows that Andrew’s rep is growing.

Offensively, the repertoire of shots Bynum’s been showing has been remarkable. We know he’s being taught by one of the best big men of all time, but I doubt there is anyone that would’ve guessed that Andrew would show this much post versatility this early on. I especially loved seeing Andrew’s step to the middle and follow up step to the baseline for a dunk or quick mini-hook. He got into his post spots as crisply as he has all year. With each game it seems that Andrew is finding his spots in the offense easier and with more leg strength to hold the spot once he’s there.

Tonight the guy was just a vacuum on the defensive boards. Though he got a good chunk of offensive boards, it’s the D-boards that he did his damage on tonight. There was rarely a rebound that wasn’t gotten by Andrew once he tracked it. He’s taking a turn towards a natural rebounder.

It was Andrew’s most complete game tonight and from the looks of it, it may not be his last.

Any way you slice it, it was another win for a Laker team that’s turning more than a few heads right now. Though not as decisive as some of the recent victories (due to Milwaukee having the size to compete with the Lakers in the posts) it showed that the Lakers can pull out a game even when they’re not playing as well as they can.

Now it’s onto 2 more games before a tough little stretch of games. Pull out Sunday’s game and follow it up with a win in Seattle and the tune-up for the mini-run through the West’s best teams will be complete.

For now though, it’s great to see the Lakers play as if they’re starting to believe they do belong among the West’s elite sooner than anyone thought.
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"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

BDG · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 12:20 am Post subject:

Awesome stuff. A few days ago I was marveling at how Kobe never takes a game off unless he absolutely couldn't play ... and then he goes out and does this shortly after.

Nice perspective on the game seeing as how you have the same cold Kobe has. Get well soon.
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LaLaKeRz4LiFe · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:55 am Post subject:

Cru...

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crucifido · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:35 pm Post subject:

Sorry for the lateness of the write-ups everyone, trying to get over this stupid cold.

Lakers vs. Grizzlies & Sonics (Games 35 & 36 1/13 & 1/14/2008)

And Now The Test Begins

Well coming out of this dang cold that knocked me on my butt, I thought I wouldn’t get the energy to write an article about the last two games (Memphis and Seattle) and I’d just wait until the Phoenix contest on Wednesday (or today, since this posting is so late). However, I’m coming out of the fog and it looks like the Lakers may be doing the same.

The injury to Andrew is obviously a big blow to the NBA’s biggest surprise hit of the season. But, this is what the much lauded Laker depth has been waiting for in essence. No, they haven’t been waiting for an injury to a primary starter, but they’ve been looking for a way to contribute more, be an even bigger part of the Lakers success (if it’s possible due to the bench’s great play so far). At least that’s what this Laker fan is hoping.

I would hope that some of the guys that don’t get to put up big numbers, or play big minutes in meaningful arts of games are excited at the prospect of becoming a bigger cog in the quickly revving up engine of the Laker machine. The game in Seattle looked to be more of a transition game to me. They luckily came up against a poor team in Seattle to where they could flutter a bit but come out with a win.

Of course this is due to in no short words to Kobe’s heroic play. There’s been a ton of worry spewing out from everywhere about how Kobe took so many shots. Of course, the long term health of this team is far better off when Kobe shares the ball as he has all year. But in this game where, Lamar pulled an offensive no-show, Kwame was floundering and really the only offensive contribution outside of Kobe came from the bench, something had to be done.

This is what superstars do. They take over games that need to be taken over – and watching this one, it was obvious something had to be done.

You have to know full well that Phil and Kobe know that this Laker team has seen its greatest success in the post-Shaq era by sharing the ball. To assume that Kobe, Phil and the rest of the coaching staff will see Kobe shooting 40+_ shots a night is the way out of this divot is ridiculous. But now we’re back to where this team was before, if nobody does step up, somebody has to. Would you rather see Kobe sit back and watch the rest of the team stumble into needless losses? Of course you don’t, and the Lakers don’t want that either.

This is a big injury; it’s going to take more than one game and a half day of practice to get used to a different rhythm. You could see that at the end of the Grizzlies game. When you lose a big part of what has made you run so well, it’s not like losing the 15th man on the bench.

Obviously Kwame and Lamar will have to pick up their play. Kwame’s just going to have to play smarter out of the post. Flash defense and dive down, don’t jump out and stay there. Offensively, we’re back to telling Kwame to settle down, take things slow and deliberate. Too much rushing on the free throw line, in the post and to make a move that doesn’t have room to be made are all going to have to come to a quick stop if the Lakers are to stave off this lull in the middle.

As for Lamar, its simple – he has to show up. The 3rd option is his best spot, but as of the Grizzlies game, that’s changed. I know he won’t score 20 a game; I’m not looking for that. What Lamar has to do is play defense with more assertion than he has before. He must watch the man on the back side of boards, the Collison’s of the league will kill the Lakers if Lamar continues to play one way defense as he did in Seattle.

To some extent Fisher will also have to take up some of the offensive slack. It’s not like he’s been a slouch offensively, in fact his sharpshooting has been a welcome surprise from the point guard position. Derek must use his low center of gravity to push guards out on the perimeter. He can’t allow them easy runs around one screen. If (or rather when) he dives under a screen he can’t choose a side. He has to stay in front of his man now at all times. The shot blocker is gone from the middle. So the perimeter defense becomes a premium.

If the bench keeps up their play as they did in both games that should prove as no problem. The biggest struggle for the Lakers right now is keeping their heads up high, keeping their hustle off the ball on both ends at a maximum and most of all, know that every night now will be a grind it out game. There may be blowouts here and there, but the easy games of 2008 are now tougher – and so the Lakers must double that toughness by reaching deep down and showing that pride in winning that got them where they are tonight.

In Kobe’s post-game comments, I hope everyone heard what he said. “With Andrew in the lineup, we’re a championship caliber team”. Don’t know about you, but it sounds to me like Kobe is a believer – in this team. The real question now lies with the rest of the Lakers and whether or not they believe the same. Surely, losing Andrew changes the game plan of the Lakers in a big way. But it shouldn’t mean that the team falls apart. The whole season this team has built the West’s best record (as of tonight’s Suns loss to the Clippers) on just that – team. So now the Lakers must find a way to bring up their play to keep up with the lofty status they’ve given themselves this year.

Now is the time to prove to show just why you’re the #1 team in the West.
_________________
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

crucifido · Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:22 pm Post subject:

Shake it off everyone. That first half of non-effort kind of spelled out how the game was going to go. Its important now to learn from the slow start and get ready for the next big game.

Lakers vs. Suns (Game 37 1/17/2008)

The (First) Most Important Game Of The Year

In what is to be a pretty dang important run of 5 games, this is a heck of a way to get it going. Playing Phoenix for temporary first place and for the season tiebreaker was a good test for the Lakers and where they can go without Bynum in the mix.

Though not indicative of what the Lakers can do, even without Bynum, it wasn’t very fun to watch them fumble their way through 3 quarters the way they did.

In the first games versus the Suns this year the Lakers did great job of neutralizing Stoudemire and Barbosa. Without Andrew you knew handling Stoudemire would be tougher, but it shouldn’t have been as much of a waltz for Amare as it was. As for Barbosa, it’s a matter of keeping up with his motion around picks. The Lakers didn’t even begin to try to stick with him until it was too late and he was in rhythm.

In regards to the slow start of the Lakers (leading to the sluggish pace through the first 3 quarters) …

It’s readily apparent that Luke is terribly out of place against an outside switching team like the Suns. He was forcing action in the post on plays that didn’t call for it. It isn’t a dig on Luke’s game as much as Luke is just flatly out of place starting against the Suns.

I’m all for Luke and his game but I think you have to adjust the starters between Ariza and him according to the match-ups. Luke on Marion with the likes of the Suns type of team just doesn’t feel like it’s going to be successful. Match athleticism with athleticism, not post strength.

The burst of offense from the bench play through Turiaf and Farmar proves (not like its tough to see) that matching up with Phoenix in particular is vitally important.

That brings me to Kwame. Being the kind of stand still strength defender he is, he’s another guy that just doesn’t have a place starting against this kind of team. Kwame has got to understand that there’s a difference between being calm and being lazy. He has to use his strength at all times under the hoop, not just when the ball’s in his hands. When Ronny came in with energy (to match the Suns style) there was an immediate, as in the first play on the court on both ends, difference.

Along with being mismatched on the outset, like it or not, Lamar has got to play with more assertion. I’m not saying he has to score like mad, but there can be no hesitation in his game. By this year in his tenure with the Lakers, he knows where to be and what to do once he’s there. There was far too much apprehension in Odom’s game in the first quarter. Its cool if Lamar looks to be a bigger rebounder than scorer, or whatever he chooses, but either way he has to play that choice with determination.

And that’s what Lamar did come the 2nd quarter. You can see the stark difference in the Lakers as a team when Lamar does something / anything with aggression. Like I said on the boards, to think he’s going to be a 20/10 guy is a dead issue. What you have to get from Lamar is a show of him wanting to be a part of the game in any facet, not only scoring. When he does, the whole team changes. In other words, as Lamar goes, so go the Lakers – big shocker there huh?

My main point is that with Andrew out I think the starting lineup has to have more fluidity than simply this or that guy starts all the time, no matter what.

Wow, was the inside defense an absolute sieve in the first half. It was beyond ugly, it was non-existent. The thing was that it was easy to either penetrate or get an open shot due to the Lakers almost walking to switches and hardly recognizing defensive mismatches until the ball was already through the hoop. That awareness doesn’t take hall of fame level talent, it takes paying attention.

For Crittenton – he has got to stop passing up open shots to get deeper in the paint and subsequently deeper into trouble. He doesn’t have the size or chops yet to make something in heavy big man traffic. He has got to start slow. In his effort to prove to everyone that he has a place on this year’s team, he’s causing turnover after turnover by trying to do too much when the easy play would get it done.

Without Bynum, you knew the middle would be softer, but the parade down the lane that Amare had tonight was ridiculous. There’s no reason the open lane can’t be at least seen by somebody. If it’s even halfway seen, you can get into it and cause phoenix to play in something other than an easy straight line to the basket all game. Kwame is big enough, Lamar is big enough, heck anyone that can move laterally should be big enough to at least fill space and make Phoenix dump the ball to an outside shot rather than the dunkfest the 2nd quarter became.

The Lakers know better than to let a team like Phoenix, or any team, get into such a fluid rhythm so early in a game that overcoming it becomes am monumental task. You can’t give teams that much confidence to start out a game. Then not only are you playing them as you normally do, you’re now playing them in rhythm, confident, loose and feeling they can’t be stopped.

Phoenix’s first half had less to do with them being on as much as it had to do with the Lakers playing scared. That first half was horrid.

Come the 3rd quarter and the Lakers implode. The lack of concentration showing in terrible ball handling on all fronts, missed lay-ups, a missed dunk by Kwame and seriously un-focused play on all fronts.

Thank you Sasha for gutting it out and coming into the game giving it your full effort. That’s what I’ve been talking about for a while. You can’t come into games looking to get by. Sasha did a great job coming in, looking to be aggressive from the outset and playing with that in mind.

The same goes for Farmar. The bench in spurts did their job. The turnovers were completely out of control, but the starters did no better in that department.

The sad thing was the Suns played just as poorly as the Lakers. It was no fantastic game

Remember that hustle play of Kobe’s, diving over the scorer’s table in the 2nd quarter? That effort can come from anyone, that doesn’t require great skill, just great determination. And as far as Kobe’s scoring, or taking over games with dominant shooting, dies everyone still think he has to defer to others first? Though its not the ideal way to play, the Laker fans, the media and the rest of the team has to know that the only way for the Lakers to compete with the upper echelon teams they face in this tough little run is for Kobe to be dominant at any time he feels he needs to.

As usual Kobe’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. Right now I’ll take the damned if he does since nobody is doing anything so far.

We’re right back to where the Lakers were the last couple of seasons – a team that looks to play around Kobe rather than alongside him. I don’t know what it takes for the rest of the team to realize that unless they show the capability of playing team ball like they have so far this season, Kobe will has to and must take over if the Lakers are to survive the schedule until Andrew’s return.

If the rest of the Lakers outside of Kobe want to be part of the game while Andrew is out and the focus goes back to Kobe, then they have to show it. They have to show it by not only making shots, but also by moving to help out when Kobe is handling the ball. I’m sure nobody; including Kobe himself wants Kobe to have to score 40 per game in this stretch – at least I hope so.

Like I said, its not the best way to play the rest of the year (and I don’t expect it to continue once Andrew comes back), but if nobody else wants to play like they want to win, you can’t expect Kobe to sink to that level as well.

I’ve always said that losing is semi-tolerable as long as the Lakers give it everything they have. But when they play at 20% capacity like they did tonight for the first 3 quarters, its absolutely unacceptable. That 4th quarter should show the Lakers exactly what playing with passion and decisive motion can do. If they had played that way from the beginning of the game, it would’ve been a totally different game. You can play short-handed, but you can never play short on desire – ever.

As usual though, it was one game. Every game without Bynum right now is a learning process of how to survive. What I hope to see is the Lakers internalize this and use it as motivation to not play that way again.

Before I wrap it up, my WTF?! moment of the game is the Staples crowd booing Kwame every time he touched the ball. Sure he played terribly, but booing your own players when they’re struggling doesn’t inspire, it drags them down. At no point is it cool, funny or O.K. for the crowd at the game to do that. Booing the team is one thing, but booing an individual is pointless.

As a general rule for the Lakers – when you play lazy physically, you play lazy mentally as well, and vice versa. Effort begets effort just as much as lethargy begets losing.
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"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

pound4pound1 · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 3426 Location: 818 LAKER NATION

another great read Crucifido!

although it was a clear cut loss, it wasnt that bad...this laker fan no longer has worries about the Suns...we played horrible in stretches, had Kwame and his problems and they still didnt put on a beatdown like a 'championship' team should against a depleted, still-in-shock, still-adjusting, team

crucifido · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:32 pm Post subject:

Lakers vs. Nuggets (Game 39 1/21/2008)

First Team To Play (Some Kind Of) Defense Wins

After the booing debacle, the bad game by everyone outside of a couple against Phoenix and these days off to let it all stew, its good to get back to the business of playing basketball.

How great was that to see the team come to play immediately in the first quarter. It was beyond gratifying to see the whole team play with positive motion. A little hesitation in the beginning of the game, but it faded quickly. Of course it faded faster once Ronny came into the game, but either way at least the tentativeness they showed in the Phoenix game thankfully disappeared.

Whether you believe it or not, the hop in the Lakers step has come from the defensive all year long and it really showed I this game. That first quarter, once it settled into a groove on defense completely altered the energy level on offense. That’s the way the game has and will always go though, defense first, offense follows.

You don’t expect 67 points in a half that much, but with Denver’s struggles against the Lakers, its not unheard of. What has to concern you is the Lakers finding a balance between the fast start and consistent hard play through the game. As this team has aged and gotten more used to playing with each other, its happened less and less, and maybe it’s the worrier in me, but nonetheless, I’d like to see a consistent game long run from the Lakers more often than a quick jump start and a slow go for the rest of the game. They had a god run in the 3rd to get them back on top, but you can’t lean on the possibility of good runs, you have to look to play hard at all times.

Another concern is when a player of Anthony’s magnitude goes down in a game. It tends to spark a team more than bring them down and that happened again tonight. Its important to not let up the pressure when something like this happens. There’s enough experience on this squad right now to know that. You can’t relax when a team is healthy or when they lose a piece. It’s a constant effort at all times on the court.

Good to have Derek back in the shooting form he’s shown more often than not. I mean, wow, 16 in the first quarter alone is unheard of. I mean, my god, that was simply insane to see Derek go off like that. Is it a pure point guard thing, no, but you can’t complain about Fisher’s amazing shooting. I especially love the aggressiveness all game. It wasn’t just hitting the shots, it was his shot selection that was not only on the money, it was the money. That smart, hot shooting got the team off to not only a good start in the scoring column but also eased up the inside game enough to let Kobe and Lamar get their selves inside with a lot more ease than they had in the past couple of games.

Good to see the team and Kwame himself get going quickly. After the bad game he had against Phoenix it was vitally important for him to get early easy looks to get his confidence up enough to play the best he can. His lackadaisical movement on both ends was a bit less. There was more activity moving through the paint tonight which was good to see. Above all, he looked to be part of the plays rather than just ride along like he had for a lot of his time back on the court.

Kwame’s confidence is his biggest hitch. The support of his team and active play like tonight wil lgo a long way to getting Kwame’s game back into the swing of things.

No surprise as soon as Ronny comes in the entire game takes a turn towards hustle. His looking for defensive stops first makes the whole team look for the same thing. When that happened everyone started picking up the collapse on the inside and looking to rotate faster on the mid-range. Sometimes it makes you wonder why Ronny doesn’t start more often, especially during this ridiculous injury run. Offensively, Ronny is knowing his spots on the dive and cut plays better with every passing game. His size seems to make other teams underestimate his effectiveness, but the majority of the battle for Ronny comes on the defensive end and his propensity for crazy swats that make refs call fouls that aren’t there.

It was a hidden player of the game performance for Ronny, but when all is said and done, its invaluable to have a total energy guy come off the bench with the contagious intensity he had tonight.

Kobe did a fantastic job in the first quarter getting the team going. He’s done it before, but it was really good to see the team cash in on opportunities. The way Kobe was setting the table up for everyone is usually there, but the difference in this one was the team making the easy open shots they were given. I would like to see Kobe try to get himself in the scoring column quicker than he has recently along with getting everyone going, but really Kobe scoring at any point is never a concern.

To the casual Laker watcher, it may seem that Kobe’s biggest help to this team is in the scoring, but his true boost to this team lies in his ability to make plays for both himself and others. This has been true for a while, what makes it show better is when the team plays with the same concentration he did tonight.

If you’re looking for an MVP caliber performance from Kobe in this injury laden month, this was a nice first step in that direction.

That run by the Lakers late in the 3rd to regain the double-digit lead was a thing of beauty. It was great to see that kind of heart show itself. Sparked by Derek’s ridiculous shooting, you saw the Lakers move off of it, rather than stay planted and watch him shoot. That kind of pro-active play will stave off the short-handed plague.

Luke played well in the first half as well, using his post strength on the defensive end rather than force the action like he was before on the offensive end. That’s where Luke’s success will come from, on the defensive end in the mid-range to high post. It was no stopper performance but using the majority of his energy on the post on defense will serve the team better. As opposed to the Phoenix game, it was good to see Luke stay mostly on the outside and mid-range offensively, acting as the passing pivot rather than pushing unnecessarily tough shots up against the trees. Also, he’s got get back to using his step back shot.

Javaris again getting himself into too much trouble for what the situation calls for. I appreciate the jab dribbling and probing, but too many times he’s getting himself buried in the paint. When he plays with relative control and stays out of the paint, he does some good things.

Farmar continues to play aggressively. His matching up with Iverson on defense isn’t a complete coup for the Lakers, but it does slow Iverson down somewhat. With Jordan its his intelligence that opened him up tonight. He was hitting his spots with brilliant crispness. When Kobe is doling out the ball as he was tonight and you get to where you’re supposed to be, good things will always come of it. Pair that with the all around persistent effort Farmar had from end to end and buzzer to buzzer and you have another good game for Jordan. It was hard to stand out as a point guard tonight with Derek going nuts, but Jordan did a good job of it.

Lamar played much better. The takes on the side of the key were back. Again, it’s a matter of Lamar looking for his own shot as much as he looks for the pass. What I loved to see was Lamar’s activity in the paint at all times. When Lamar began to fade out to the arc instead of keeping involved in the paint, the Lakers started sputtering offensively. He has got to set the pace inside like he did and continue to pound on it. Even if immediate success doesn’t come for him offensively that way, he has got to use his size on the inside more than staying out on the perimeter. Odom’s biggest help right now with Andrew out (and with him in too) is not out on the three-point line.

It was a really good all around game for Lamar. Of course we can talk about whether it will happen again or not, but you have to take it when it does happen and tonight it did.

Again, for the millionth time, it’s all about Kleiza with Nuggets game. Its one thing to give up points to the big guys, but the run the Nuggets had at the end of the first half was due mostly to Kleiza opening up the inside game and draining the outside game because for some reason or another the Lakers have trouble closing out on shooters. The Lakers showed that they know how to do that closeout against a shooter (ala the Grizzlies with Miller and to a lesser extent with Stojakovic), well the same applies here. The Lakers have got to close on shooters and make them pass the ball or change their role long before they get into any shooting groove.

It took a little longer to get it going, but it happened and that’s great.

As always sealing up the backdoor or weak side lob is key to beating Denver. This game was no different. In the first half the Lakers did decent job keeping passes from getting over the defense to either weak or back door plays. If you can minimize the easy dunks from martin and more importantly Camby like that, you’ve cut down a lot of Denver’s movement along the baseline and off the ball in general.

This kind of effort is what its going to take. So off the Lakers go to the Texas Two-Step. Both are tough arenas with tougher teams looking to gain ground on the Lakers. It’s a deadly combination to come up against (Dallas & San Antonio with motivation and at home) but so is determination, defensive hustle and team oriented play.
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"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

crucifido · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:33 pm Post subject:

Thanks pound for pound, I appreciate it!!!
_________________
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

revgen · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:10 pm Post subject:

Good Job Cruc. I also agree that Ronny was a huge presence for us in the game. What he did is a bit overshadowed by Kobe's 11 assists, Derek's 28 points, and LO's all-around game, but Ronny was the glue for the team on both sides of the court. The blocks and altered shots were incredibly important for us, as well as his ability to finish in the paint.
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